London: Iran’s Ambassador to Norway, Alireza Jahangiri, has said that Iran is prepared for any potential military confrontation with the United States, responding to a question about US President Donald Trump’s threat to resume military aggression against Iran.

“We are prepared for such a situation. War is not our choice, but if they want to start another war, they will have to pay the price for it,” Jahangiri said in an interview with a television channel.

Referring to the readiness of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s armed forces, he said that Iranian forces had already demonstrated their preparedness during the previous war and were now better prepared than before to respond to any possible future conflict.

Asked whether Iran would retaliate if the United States used the territory of neighbouring countries to attack Iran’s civilian infrastructure, Jahangiri made it clear that Iran would certainly respond if attacks were launched from the territory of those countries.

In another part of the interview, Jahangiri discussed the conditions for ending the war. He said that the experience of recent months had demonstrated that neither side could achieve a complete victory through military action alone. He added that the continuation of the conflict was harming not only Iran but also countries across the region and the global economy.

“We must find a way to end the war, rather than settle for a temporary ceasefire,” he stressed. “The first step is to bring the war to an end and provide guarantees that such a conflict will not happen again.”

Responding to questions about the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and calls by some countries to reopen the strategic waterway, Iran’s ambassador to Norway said that Iran could not be expected to ensure normal maritime traffic while being deprived of its rights and continuing to face sanctions pressure.

“It is not fair for other countries to use the Strait of Hormuz for their own interests while Iran is deprived of its interests and rights,” Jahangiri said.